Timber!

April 7, 1986|By Jerry Jackson of The Sentinel Staff

More than 4 billion pine seedlings have been planted by private and industrial timber growers in Florida since a state sales program to encourage plantings began in 1928. A ceremony marking the milestone was held recently at the North Florida farm of Alphonas Alexander, 36.

Alexander, a research forester for Buckeye Cellulose Corp., bought 27,000 slash pine seedlings, and his order included the 4 billionth seedling. The state program provides pine seedlings at cost. The first billion were planted by 1959, the second billion in 1969 and the third billion in 1979. It took only six more years to attain the 4 billion milestone, and projections are that the 5 billionth will be planted by 1990.